1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to telecommunications services and more particularly to a method and system for assisting a user to engage in an interactive chat session on a wireless handheld device.
2. Description of Related Art
Communication is a basic function of the human race. Society would be unable to function without people being able to communicate with each other. Whether it is for business or for pleasure, communication is essential to our everyday life. Although people have been communicating for over a millennium, the ability to communicate with one another over long distances is a more recent advance. Telecommunications refines the xe2x80x9cart and sciencexe2x80x9d of communication.
Telecommunications technology offers people a number of ways to interact with each other. The wireless handheld device is one of the more popular modes of communication. The wireless handheld device may be a cellular telephone, pager, or personal digital assistant (PDA), for example, that an individual may readily carry to communicate with others. The beauty of such devices is that they facilitate communication between individuals in a variety of ways, for instance, by voice and by text.
The most familiar handheld device may be the cellular telephone. For over a decade, individuals have been using the cellular telephone to chat with friends and family. The cellular telephone permits a user to communicate with another via voice. More recent advances, however, have moved the news of communication beyond that of using voice. The modem handheld wireless device may have a display screen and a character-entry device. The display screen may include, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The character-entry device may include, for example, a standard 12-key Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) keypad, a keyboard, a touch interface, a touch interface with handwriting recognition, a touch interface with virtual character-entry device, or a voice recognition system. The result of these features is that the wireless handheld device has become a multi-functional device facilitating text-based communications.
For example, the wireless handheld device may enable a user to engage in short message services (SMS). SMS is analogous to e-mail on a desktop computer. A user can send short written text messages to and from a wireless handheld device without actually establishing an active call session with another entity. In general, SMS allows a person to type a desired message, indicate a destination (such as a mobile identification number), and transmit an SMS message encapsulating the desired text message. The telecommunications network then transfers the message to the intended destination.
Only recently has wireless telecommunications sufficiently advanced to permit wireless connectivity over the Internet. Landline-based computers have been used for many years to access the Internet. A more recent development, however, is the ability for wireless handheld devices to connect to the Internet. The microbrowser is one application that enables a wireless handheld device to exchange instructions with network devices on the Internet. For example, the microbrowser may exchange instructions with a server to perform functions requested by the user. The microbrowser may also interpret instructions received by the server that describe the layout and content of the display screen. The method in which a microbrowser communicates with the server typically conforms to a standard protocol. One example of such a protocol is the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
WAP defines the architecture for exchanging content between a wireless handheld device, a gateway, and a server. WAP typically employs a markup language for facilitating the transfer of content from the server to the wireless handheld device running a microbrowser. The markup language is a set of instructions for instructing the microbrowser to perform a particular function. For example, the markup language may instruct a microbrowser as to how to display text, when to request user input, or how to send data to a server. The language that WAP uses is Wireless Markup Language (WML). Other languages that a microbrowser may interpret include Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML) and Compact Hyper-Text Markup Language (cHTML).
xe2x80x9cTagsxe2x80x9d are generally the instructions of the markup language. Commonly, a xe2x80x9ctag documentxe2x80x9d embodies at least one tag (e.g. instruction). The microbrowser may interpret the tags in the tag document and display the translated document on the display screen. In WML and HDML, the at least one tag that describes the layout of one display screen is typically referred to as a card. If at least one tag document embodies tags describing more than one card, the at least one tag document may be referred to as a xe2x80x9cdeck of cards.xe2x80x9d A user navigates in the microbrowser environment by moving through the deck of cards. The cards may comprise information stored on the server or work in conjunction with applications residing on the server, thus permitting the user to access information resident on the server.
Typically, a card sent by the server may also be encoded to program the use of softkeys resident on the handheld device. A softkey is a programmable key that accepts input from the user. The handheld device may have one or two softkeys located below the display screen and under a label that identifies the function of the softkey. A card may program one of the two softkeys on the handheld device as a xe2x80x9cprimary keyxe2x80x9dxe2x80x94typically the left key with functionality related to operating the microbrowser. For example, a card may program the primary key to be a navigation key, which the user can press to browse another card.
Below is an example of an HDML tag document. It is a deck comprising three cards that each describes the weather for a particular day. The user may navigate through the cards in the tag document by using the softkeys to browse each card. The microbrowser may interpret the appropriate card and display the Hi and Lo temp on the specified day on the display of the handheld device.
 less than HDML VERSION=3.0 greater than 
 less than DISPLAY greater than 
 less than ACTION TYPE=ACCEPT LABEL=Tues TASK=GO DEST=#tues greater than 
Current temps
 less than BR greater than Hi: 60
 less than BR greater than Lo: 28
 less than /DISPLAY greater than 
 less than DISPLAY NAME=tues greater than 
 less than ACTION TYPE=ACCEPT LABEL=Wed TASK=GO DEST=#wed greater than 
Tuesday temps
 less than BR greater than Hi: 78
 less than BR greater than Lo: 36
 less than /DISPLAY greater than 
 less than DISPLAY NAME=wed greater than 
Wednesday temps
 less than BR greater than Hi: 80
 less than BR greater than Lo: 40
 less than /DISPLAY greater than 
 less than /HDML greater than 
Text cards, text-entry cards, and choice cards are three common types of cards that microbrowsers display. The text card is a card that may contain text viewable on the display screen of the handheld device. The above code sample is an example of a text card. A user of a handheld device may view the weather for a certain day on the display screen as text. The text-entrry card is another microbrowser card. Using the character-input device, the text-entry card may enable the user of a handheld device to create, modify, or otherwise edit text. The user may enter text in a text-entry segment of the card, and the microbrowser may then send the text to the server.
Typically, the text-entry card comprises at least one title segment, having the title of the card, and at least one text-entry segment for entering text. If the text in the title segment is too long for the display screen to display it in full, a browser will conventionally default to display just as many of the last lines of the title as will fit on the display screen, together with the text-entry segment. A user may then use scroll keys, for instance, to scroll through the title segment so as to have the microbrowser present more of the title. Conversely,-scrolling past the end of the title may also permit the user to view more of the text-entry segment.
The microbrowser may also display a choice card. Like the entry card, the choice card has a title segment, which usually identifies the subject matter of the choice card. The choice card, however, has a list of selectable options instead of a text-entry segment. Each choice-item is typically accompanied by a corresponding number. The user may select an item on the list by pressing the corresponding number key on the numeric character-entry device. Alternatively, the user may scroll to the item (usually by highlighting it) and then press a softkey to engage the desired function. In response, the card may cause the browser to display another card or to take another designated action associated with the selected item.
Again, if the title segment of the choice card is too long to be presented at once, the microbrowser may conventionally default to display as many of the last lines of the title as will fit on the display screen followed by one or more of the choice-items. The presence of a numbered choice-item on the display screen may conveniently signify to a user that the user may use scroll keys to scroll down so as to view additional choice-items encoded in the card.
A microbrowser-equipped wireless handheld device is well situated to provide users with convenient access to interactive xe2x80x9cchatxe2x80x9d sessions. In an interactive chat session, a user may engage in a conversation with a remote entity (e.g., person), by sending and receiving text messages via the microbrowser. The interaction may be, but need not be, in real-time.
Through use of a microbrowser, a user may generate a text message and then have the microbrowser send the message via the telecommunications network to a remote entity. Similarly, a gateway on the telecommunications network may receive incoming messages from the remote entity and may forward them to the microbrowser for presentation to the user. Therefore, an effective user interface to the microbrowser enables a user to efficiently conduct an interactive chat session.
The present invention stems from a realization that engaging in an interactive chat session through a conventional wireless handheld device may be difficult, even if the handheld device is equipped with a microbrowser. A user should be able to rapidly enter, transmit, and view text messages on the handheld device in order to conveniently engage in an interactive chat session. Of course, many wireless handheld devices have small display screens and minimally useful character-entry devices. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a simple and robust user interface to facilitate interactive chat sessions.
One way to present an interactive chat session on a wireless handheld device is to use a text-entry card as a main conversation card. The text-entry card may be set to include a history-of-communications (e.g., the last lines of the conversation between chat-session participants) in the title segment and to provide a response-entry field in the text-entry segment (where a user may enter a new message for the microbrowser to transmit). The text-entry card may, in turn, be encoded to define a MENU softkey which, when actuated, directs the microbrowser to call up a MENU choice card. The MENU choice card may provide the user with various selectable functions related to the chat session, for example, an option to type a message, an option to select a canned message, an option to refresh the history-of-communications, and an option to close the chat session.
Although such an interface is workable, it forces a user to press a relatively large number of keys in order to accomplish many basic chat functions. Therefore, a more efficient arrangement is desired.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a microbrowser may display a choice card as a main conversation card. The choice card may conveniently. include, as its title segment, a history-of-communications, and conveniently include, as its choice-items, a number of functional choices related to the chat session. For example, the choice-items may comprise an option to select a canned message, an option to type a message, an option to refresh the history-of-communications, and an option to close the chat session. The conversation choice card may be encoded in a markup language such as WML or HDML, for instance. But other markup languages and other xe2x80x9cnon-cardsxe2x80x9d constructs may be used instead.
The use of a conversation choice card (or the like) as a main conversation card conveniently cuts the number of keystrokes required to perform various functions associated with interactive chat session. The conversation card provides, in a single display block, both the it. history-of-communications and choices related to the chat session without requiring the user to call up a separate card. As a result, for instance, the number of keystrokes to perform the close chat and update conversation functions is cut in half, and the number of keystrokes to perform other functions is decreased as well.
Thus, in one respect, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may take the form of a user interface for assisting in providing an interactive chat session on a wireless handheld device. The wireless handheld device may include a display screen and at least one actuator. The user interface may have at least one history-of-communications segment displayed on the display screen and at least one choice-item segment displayed on the display screen. The history of communications segment may comprise communications between the wireless handheld device and at least one remote entity. The at least one choice-item segment may comprise a plurality of choice-items each selectable by the user and each defining an action-item related to the chat session.
The display screen may initially display the at least one history-of-communications segment with at least a first choice-item in the at least one choice-item segment. The contents in the at least one history-of-communications segment and the at least one choice-item segment may be scrollable on the display screen. The at least one choice-item segment may include various selectable functions related to the chat session. Such functions may include an option to type a message, an option to select a canned message, an option to refresh the history-of-communications, and an option to close the chat session.
Further, the wireless handheld device may be equipped with a microbrowser and display. The display may be at least three rows of characters high and/or at least twelve characters wide. The microbrowser may be configured to display choice cards encoded with the at least one history-of-communications segment and the at least one choice-item segment. Still further, the choice cards may be encoded in a markup language such as WML, HDML, or cHTML.
The at least one history-of-communications segment may have at least one outgoing message sent from the wireless handheld device to at least one remote entity. Alternatively, or additionally, the at least one history-of-communications segment may have at least one outgoing message and at least one incoming message sent between the wireless handheld device and the at least one remote entity. Each incoming message may further have an indication of a respective sender of the message.
In another respect, an exemplary embodiment may take the form of a method for assisting a user to engage in an interactive chat session via a device with a display screen and at least one actuator. The method may comprise displaying a display block having at least one history-of-communications segment and at least one choice-item segment. The at least one history-of-communications segment may comprise a history of communications between the wireless handheld device and at least one remote entity. The at least one choice-item segment may comprise a plurality of choice-items, each selectable by a user through actuating at least one actuator and each defining an action item related to the chat session. The method may also comprise initially displaying the at least one history-of-communications segment with at least a first choice-item of the at least one choice-item segment. Still further, the method may include presenting a scrollable view of the contents in the at least one history-of-communications segment and the at least one choice-item segment.
The at least one choice-item segment may comprise various selectable functions related to the chat session. Such functions may include an option to type a message, an option to select a canned message, an option to refresh the history-of-communications, and an option to close the chat session.
In addition, the displaying of the display block may comprise displaying a choice card. The choice card may define the at least one history-of-communications segment and the at least one choice-item segment. The method may also include encoding the choice card in a markup language such as WML, HDML, or cHTML.
The displaying of the display block may comprise displaying at least one outgoing message sent from the device to the at least one remote entity. Alternatively, or additionally, the displaying of the display block may comprise displaying at least one outgoing message and at least one incoming message sent between the wireless handheld device and the at least one remote entity. Each incoming message may further have an indication of a respective sender of the message.
In yet another respect, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may take the form of a user interface for assisting in providing an interactive chat session on a device. The device may comprise a display screen and at least one actuator. The user interface may have a choice card with a display block having at least one history-of-communications segment and at least one choice-item segment. The choice card may be displayed on the display of the device. The history of communications segment may include a history-of-communications between the device and at least one remote entity. The at least one choice-item segment may include a plurality of choice items each selectable by a user and each defining an action item related to the chat session.
In yet another respect, an exemplary embodiment of a method for assisting a user to engage in an interactive chat session may include displaying a choice card. The choice card may comprise a display block having at least one history-of-communications segment and at least one choice-item segment. The history of communications segment may include a history-of-communications between the device and at least one remote entity. The at least one choice-item segment may include a plurality of choice items each selectable by a user and each defining an action item related to the chat session.